Filling apparatus.



N. M. LA FORTE.

FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1911.

Patented May18,19 15.

WILZTQQJ 6;,

tion a suitably arranged conduit will be em ployed for this purpose. In the particular construction shown, this conduit includes a pipe 14 which eXtendS above the level of the liquid in the tank, the pipe being screwed into an opening in the barrel 7 and registering with a channel 15 passing through the barrel. The barrel, in the particular construction illustrated, has secured to its lower end a shell 16 with the interior of which the channel 15 communicates. This shell 16, in the particular construction illustrated, has secured to its lower end a stuffing box 17 through which moves a sleeve 18, the move ment of the sleeve in one direction being effcctcd by a spring 19 which is located between a flange 20 on the sleeve 1.8 and the under side of the stuiling box. In the particular construction illustrated, this sleeve 18 carries a nipple 21 arranged to enter the mouth of the container, the nipple being screwed into the sleeve and surrounding the filling tube 6. The diameter of the opening of the nipple is, however, greater than the diameter of the filling tube. In the particular construction illustrated, therefore, the conduit referred to is made up of the pipe 14, the channel 15, the opening through the interior of the shell 16, the opening through the sleeve 18 and the o eningthrough the nipple 21. When a con uit is employed for effecting the balance of gas pressures per unit of area onopposite sides of the valve or for equalizing the pressures in the container and the tank, means should be emloyed for opening and closing this conduit,

hile these means may be varied, in the best constructions embodying the invention they will be of such a character as to be operated by the container to be filled. In the particular construction illustrated, the sleeve 18 is formed with a valve seat 22 at its upper end, this valve seat cotiperating with a valve 23 mounted on the filling tu e. The sleeve, in the particular construction shown, is arranged to be pushed up against the stress of the spring 19 bythe mouth of the container and it will be readily understood that this movement pushes the seat .32 away from the valve and opens; the conduit When the invention is embodied in con structions like that illustrated, means'should be provided for maintaining a gas tight connection between the interior ofthe container and the filling tube and conduit lo the particular construction illustrated, this is effected by providing the lower end of the sleeve 18 with a gasket24 which, when a container, such as a bottle, indicated at 25, is 'in operative position with respect to the conduit and the tube, is in contact with the lip' of the bottle. While the character of the gasket employed may be 'varied,-in the best constructions embodying the invention the gasket will be flat, as shown. so as to reproduce the conditions which ex st when the bottle or container after bein filled is sealed, it bcingunderstood that it is now the general custom to seal bottles and similar containers holding liquids under oressure with the well-known crown cork the fiatsealing disk of which contacts with the lip of the container when'the container is sealed.

Constructions embodying the invention will include automatic means for opening the valve which controls, the filling tube when the balance of pressure per unit of area on opposite sides of the valve is effected, or when the pressures in the container to be filled and in the tank are balanced. While the automatic valve opening means may be varied, in the particular construction illustrated the valve 12 is provided with a stem 26 surrounded by a spring 217 which bears against the under side of the valve and against a perforated grid 28 resting on a shoulder formed in the wall of the opening 11 through the barrel 7. In. the construction illustrated, the valve is ,h gld closed against theforce of the spring t y the pressure exerted on the upper face of the valve due to pressure of the liquid in thmtenk and the pressure of the gas in the s eet above the liquid in the tank.

When a container is placed in operative position with respect to the filling tube and equalizing conduit, and the controlling valve 23 for the conduit is opened by the upward movement of the sleeve 18 gas from the gas containing space above the liquid in the tank will flow down through the conduit into the container or bottle and an upward flow of gas will be established through the tube 6. This flow will continue until' the gas pressure per unit of area on the underside of the valve balances the gas pressure per unit of area on'the upper side of the'valve. \Vhcn this balance is effected, the spring 26 which as before stated is strong enough to overcome the force tending to hold the valve closed exerted by the liquid, opens the valve against the pressure of the liquid in the tank. The liquid now flows down through the openin in the barrel and the filling tube into t e bottleor container, the air and gas in the bottle being forced back up throu h the conduit.

When the container or iottle is filled, it is moved down, in the particular construction shown, to remove it from the filling tube. As the container is moved down ward, the sleeve 18 is also moved down by its spring 19 so that the valve 23 is closed before the joint betweenthe lip of the bottle or container and the gasket 24 is broken. When the joint is broken between the lip of the bottle and the asket 24 the pressure in the bottle is imme iately reduced toatmospheric pressure which unbalances theforces acting on the valve 12 and this Yalve is.

therefore, immed ately seated against the force of its spring by the pressure in the tank. The operation. heretofore dos will. take place when a gas tight seat is:

lishe l hy the contact between the lip of the bottle and the gasket 24 If, hone-yer thc lip of the bottle he chipped or imperfect for any reason to such an extent that a tlat sealing disk such as that employed in the well-known crown corkwill not make a tight seal therewith, a tight all will not he estalr lishud by the contact between the lip of the bottle and the gasket 2i. lVith a chipper or imperfect hottle, therefore, when the conduit is opened by the operation of the val e 23 he gas flowing down into the hottie through the conduit will flow out between the lip of the bottle and the gasket 24 and the valve 12 will remain closed, because there will be no balancing of the pressurw on its opposite .t'aces. It is also obvious that it the container be cracked or imperfect in any other way so that its contents will not be SQillltd gas tight the filling operation will not take plate.

It is apparent that the filling tnhr .ifhi nipple displace a certain amount of liquid. in the container aml also that gas will ho trapped in the space around the nipple and between the mouth of the nipple and 14.! gasket. The height at which the liquid will finally stand in the container will depend, therefore, upon the displacement due to the nipple and the filling tube and to the amount of gas trapped. In other words, the height at which the liquid will tin-ally stand in the container Will be determined or regulated by making the 'nipple adju table. so that its mouth may he at a greater or less distance from the mouth of the container. It hm hcen heretofore stated that the niptln'catlerl int the sleeve 18. This connmttion is an excellent one For a rra l v adjustment of the nipple guenily regulating: the he i at ihpliii will stand in the conminrr iUing" operation ha: been r-rm al'tcr pletmi. nltl any other ihhs connection may he Sui)- stitvlwl for ihc SflCW lhrearl. being unnwcwnrv that the joint between the nipple and the a e he a gas tight one.

A nnitann source of liquial supply will he l-niphwyctl in connr-rtion with the tanl; and, the mounting oi" the wort and the tank shouhl he such as to enal h a relati s mm;- nient to take plane hetmyu 1.1 Ul'lll! to establish opt-rathe comic on hrtM-vn containers and the filling to v lllfil'l'lll'llOnS einlmi ving tlw inv nt num-imni vii fwigfi n; 1 vii support which may in arm of the nivchanisiins wcll-l-:znlv;n 5 1n the particular coiietrn tic;

1 kin] h it is of courier ohvioua that the containers are placed in a 29 which rests, unzni a moralil Ill) may tit raine l a f 1 not, tl'ieral'ore, to he cnnt inw v to the par lllnntratetl the accoinpanynn, alran'ingi i. my

llha: .nicd is1-- L In a tailing: apparatm 'nhin ation with a tank containing liq .piirr pro oi a till i 'ng: with the zit-ion with the .1. in the V lan a container in ion with the trim and conduit wnrrulling: alw, a comluit :u'ramml awn-ii h,

m, at Pilflmlilx u. A: n filling appazalw with iililliml i li .ijuzrr ith aunt a tilting; in ;n will, she aw ranged to open against the prossurc of: the contents of the tank, a .apring for opening? the valve. :1 spring controlled sleeve roinnling the filling tube, a gasket Carrie-i hfjv the sleeve and serving to seal the mouth of the container to he tilled, and a conduit, of \ihich the sleeve forms a part and which is opened and closed by the 'rnm'en'ient of the sleeve, sanl comnir being in tree comma cation with the ya 'tontaining npace above the liquid in the rank.

3. The (at-nihination with a tank (-ontainingz liq-axial under presrenw. (at l *l to the under sin of the la pm; wit a val e a 'als'r iocatmi in illtl srat and a1 rang; l to open up 21ml and to ll059(l by the pr more of the contents of thutan 3 a wring For open winner-tin llu 'nnlll harrel. a i or e :nwvahie in said shell anl'l i: mg a val e-swat. a ooniluit connmmicating; w ith the interior of the shell ainl sleeve anil weningr above the liquid lmil in the tank. a filing tulw rmlfim'h? h; l and ext-end ng; ll|l'() l l! communication between the barrel and the tank, said \alve being arranged to open against the pressure of the Contents of the tank and" to be closed thereby, of a spring for opening the valve, a conduit for admitting gas to the barrel, a sleeve movable longitudinally in the barrel, a packing device curried by the sleeve below the barrel and arranged to Contact with the container to be filled n mire seat carried by the sleeve, :1 fixed VfilY-e arranged t0 ee-Fiperate therewith, and menus; for producing a relutire movement of the contain and the barrel to hr s the container in contact with the peel-u: 3 device and the fl er to more the sleeve, whereby the valve seat is moved from the valve and the gas-pressure admitted to the container.

In a filling zqJpan-xtue, the combination, with a milk arranged in rennin! liquid uninlllt h a barrel secured to the underthe tank and having it. interior ur ranged to (:mmuunh'nte with the tank, a *nlre located in the barrel and arranged to open toward. the tank, and a spring arranged to force the valve in the direction of opening, of a shell secured to the barrel and having its interior in communication with the gas space above the liquid in the tank, a filling tube secured to the barrel and extending downward through the shell and below the same, a, valve fixed to the filling tube Within the shell, a sleeve longitudinally movable in the shell and provided with a valve seat arranged to eoiipera te with the valve on the filling tube, and a nipple adjustably eonneeted to the sleeve and extending d0Wnward around the filling rod, the interior diameter of the nipple being greater than lhe exterior diameter of the filling tube and opened to the interior of the sleeve.

I in testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my lumd, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NORBERT M. LA FORTE ll'i tnesses l). Vnxnnnnonr, W. H. KENNEDY. 

